Mara Leveritt – Books and Film

Colin Firth on the ‘decency’ of doubt in the West Memphis Three case

Knowing that he would not be able to attend the premiere of Devil’s Knot in Little Rock, Colin Firth spoke with Mara Leveritt about his role in the film by phone from his home in London. He said he felt a bit daunted after he’d accepted the offer of his friend, Canadian director Atom Egoyan, to play the part of Ron Lax.

Firth understood that he’d be portraying the Memphis private investigator who volunteered to help the defense teams representing the three accused teens. What he did not grasp at first was how contentious the story remains.

Meeting Jason Baldwin, one is profoundly struck by his decency and gentle wisdom. It’s difficult to contemplate this in contrast to the injustice and brutality of his experience. What I hadn’t grasped until reading Mara Leveritt’s book was the extent of it all. To be taken through it in such rigorous detail is painful – but it feels vitally important not to be ignorant of it.

Mara Leveritt doesn’t resort to dramatic flourishes or personal cries of indignation. Her honesty and compassion echo those of her subject. Jason Baldwin’s courage and humanity, his unwillingness to judge his tormentors or yield to cruelty, transform what could have been an unrelentingly desperate story into an inspiring one – but crucially, one which is still not over.

~ Colin Firth, Star of Devil’s Knot, on reading Dark Spell by Mara Leveritt